Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $2,551 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,551

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin and in Mecca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Berlin and in Mecca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Berlin vs $936 in Mecca, rent included.

Berlin $2,551
Mecca $936

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Berlin vs $1,453 in Mecca, rent included.

Berlin $3,845
Mecca $1,453

A family of three spends $5,139 per month in Berlin vs $1,970 in Mecca, rent included.

Berlin $5,139
Mecca $1,970

Berlin costs about 173% more than Mecca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berlin sits 89% above the global median, while Mecca is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.81

$4.57 SAR 17.14

264.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$26.89 SAR 101

185.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €11.98

$7.07 SAR 26.52

90.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$2.61 SAR 9.79

67.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.09

$0.67 SAR 2.51

419.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$0.23 SAR 0.86

1256.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 €4.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-27.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.03 SAR 3.85

126.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.11 SAR 7.91

61.14%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$2.52 SAR 9.46

78.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.93

$5.92 SAR 22.20

183.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.59

$8.08 SAR 30.33

47.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 €15.92

$12.95 SAR 48.59

38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 €3.07

$2.09 SAR 7.84

65.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.58 SAR 5.94

23.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.61 SAR 6.05

102.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.47 SAR 5.52

152.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.12 SAR 4.21

87.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.30 SAR 4.87

60.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.05 SAR 3.94

35.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.50 SAR 1.86

90.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 €9.29

$6.81 SAR 25.56

53.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 €3.86

$1.34 SAR 5.03

223.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 €63.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 €4.68

$2.43 SAR 9.11

116.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.75 SAR 6.57

76.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.32

$13.15 SAR 49.33

176.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.63 SAR 2.38

266.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.4K €28.8K

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

-31.70%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.6K €34.3K

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

82.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$382 €340

$66.9 SAR 251

470.85%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.83 €16.75

$35.35 SAR 133

-46.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.57 €43.20

$63.2 SAR 237

-23.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 €35.76

$80.7 SAR 303

-50.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.90 €31.04

$42.52 SAR 160

-17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$11.96 SAR 44.88

31.52%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$142 €126

$775 SAR 2,907

-81.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

-2.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.8

$13.57 SAR 50.9

602.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 €41.20

$56.9 SAR 214

-18.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$39.67 SAR 149

161.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$53.3 SAR 200

168.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,306

$533 SAR 2,001

175.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$290 SAR 1,088

284.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 €2,447

$830 SAR 3,114

231.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 €1,875

$523 SAR 1,963

302.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,454 €7,520

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

32.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,435 €4,834

$2,298 SAR 8,624

136.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 €3,151

$1,083 SAR 4,063

227.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.25

-27.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Berlin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mecca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.7%

Mecca

$290 31% 74% $824

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$449 17.6%

Mecca

$165 17.7% 63.2% $284

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$343 13.4%

Mecca

$193 20.6% 43.7% $150

Eating Out

Berlin

$288 11.3%

Mecca

$93 9.9% 67.8% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$175 6.9%

Mecca

$74 7.9% 58% $101

Getting Around

Berlin

$110 4.3%

Mecca

$17 * 1.8% 84.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$72 2.8%

Mecca

$105 11.2% 46% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Berlin versus $533 in Mecca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 227% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin versus $27.00 in Mecca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $193 – making Mecca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

1,675,368

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Berlin Mecca 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
Mecca

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Berlin vs Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 173%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,826 per month in Berlin and $1,404 in Mecca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mecca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Berlin and $27.00 in Mecca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Berlin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mecca, where all-in costs run around $936, than in Berlin at $2,551. In Mecca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mecca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mecca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.